WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that 43 communities -- rural, urban and suburban -- will receive technical assistance to pursue sustainable growth that encourages local economic development while safeguarding people’s health and the environment.

EPA consulted with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to select this year’s 43 recipients from 121 applicants through a competitive process. EPA staff and national experts will conduct one to two-day workshops that focus on the specific sustainability goal each community chose in their initial application to EPA. The agency offered nine tools this year, including a Green Building Toolkit, Land Use Strategies to Protect Water Quality, and Using Smart Growth to Produce Economic and Fiscal Health.

To date, EPA’s assistance through the Building Blocks program has reached 141 communities. Together, EPA, HUD and DOT form the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which coordinates investments in housing, transportation, and environmental protection to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently.